Why we travelled on Christmas dayThe quietest day of the year at the UK’s third-busiest airport
Airports, love them or hate them, but they’re usually better when they’re quiet. The biggest travel gripes tend to be around check-in, security and finding somewhere to sit. This should mean that travelling on Christmas Day will lead to a better experience.
Why we travelled on Christmas day
We had a small window of time to take a break over the Christmas period, and some Avios to burn. We decided to head to Bahrain from Manchester, connecting in London, and to get a decent length of time away from the UK we realised we’d need to travel down to London late on Christmas Day.
I was excited about the chance to travel through an airport on it’s quietest day. We found a pretty limited experience, made slightly better by the complete lack of passengers.
Our trip through MAN
Our first mistake was arriving three hours before our flight. I wanted to take some photos of the British Airways lounge. This space was formerly the 1903 lounge, and now it’s known as the Escape Airline and Cardholder Lounge.
When we got to the BA counter, there were just a few people in front of us, but just one staff member checking travellers in. What this meant was the process ground to a halt because of an issue with a single passenger.
That’s not the passenger’s fault, and I know that the plane wasn’t going to be full on Christmas day so staffing could be cut back.
Having just one agent checking in a flight meant that we stood for just under ten minutes at the front of the queue. By the time our cases were tagged up, and we were ready to head to security, there was a backlog of passengers behind us.
MAN security was the quietest I’ve ever seen, but luck was not on my side. My hand luggage ended up being diverted for a secondary inspection. Then, after passing through the scanners again, it was immediately taken off and sent back a third time. I’m not too sure what the issue was, but it was the third time lucky for my poor bag, and then we were on our way.
The lounges were closed.
Something I wasn’t prepared for was both lounges were shut. The current BA lounge had a large sign on the door saying it was closed, so we turned right and headed along the corridor to the original Escape lounge. This had a barely legible sign saying that it, too, was closed. No notice from BA ahead of time on the lounge closures, nor from the check-in agent. No vouchers given for the inconvenience.
Back down the stairs we went and into the main terminal to see what was open. The answer was, nothing much.
Most of the shops and restaurants were closed.
It’s easier for me to list what was open. The duty free shop was open – and doing decent business. The Lion & Antelope bar in the centre of the terminal was open, and the WH Smiths was open. That was it.
The only passengers in the terminal at that time were hanging around for the same flight we were. No Ryanair flights were due out that day, meaning a terminal usually heaving was whisper quiet.
This lack of passengers allowed me to wander around, and I found some parts of T3 that I didn’t know existed. All completely empty, with Ryanair jets sat outside ready for the next flights on Boxing day,
Even the airbridge was on annual leave
To board the BA flight, we had to wander down some stairs, walk across the tarmac, and climb a set of stairs onto the plane. It was cold, but I was thankful it didn’t rain. It allowed me to take some photos of the jet from below, but I’m still pondering why we had to take that route.
The flight itself was great, the crew were on top form, and it didn’t have a full load in Club Europe, so service was prompt. From take-off to landing, it was a mere 30 minutes, one of the fastest journeys to London that I think we’ve ever had. I’m assuming the skies were empty, so we didn’t get stuck in a holding pattern.
Was it better travelling through T3 on Christmas day?
The answer to this depends on what you want and what cabin you’re travelling in.
Missing out on the lounge was a pain, and I wish that BA had communicated this in advance. In the past when there have been issues with the lounge at MAN we’ve been given vouchers at check-in.
Spending time in a near-empty airport is a lot nicer than being in a busy one, so if you’re thinking of booking a trip that starts or ends on Christmas day, I’d say give it a go. Just don’t arrive too early or expect too much from the facilities.
